Designing an Astronauts' Menu for Space Exploration
"Explore the challenges of selecting and comparing foods for a spaceflight to the moon. Design a menu that is tasty, nutritious, easy to store, and long-lasting. Experiment with different types of food and meet the design criteria in this creative activity."
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Presentation Transcript
Design an astronauts menu Selecting and comparing foods for a spaceflight to the moon
Stay safe Whether you are a scientist researching a new medicine or an engineer solving climate change, safety always comes first. An adult must always be around and supervising when doing this activity. You are responsible for: ensuring that any equipment used for this activity is in good working condition behaving sensibly and following any safety instructions so as not to hurt or injure yourself or others Please note that in the absence of any negligence or other breach of duty by us, this activity is carried out at your own risk. It is important to take extra care at the stages marked with this symbol:
Starter Watch the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZx0RIV0wss Why do astronauts eat tortillas instead of bread?
Space food What types of food are good for long space flights? Taste and nutrition are both important Explorers need enough to eat, and ways to package and store the food Growing food might be possible during space travel, as well as on the moon
Design brief Design a menu that is suitable for astronauts to take into and eat in space As part of this you will need to experiment with and try different types of food Your food must be: Tasty and nutritious A good source of energy Easy to store and carry during a spaceflight Long lasting so as not to spoil
Design criteria spider chart Easy to package Portion control Stores well for long periods of time without spoiling Spaceflight Tastes good Does not produce crumbs Simple to prepare for eating Travels well and fits into storage areas
Step 1 Mind map the kinds of foods that the astronauts could take into space The foods must meet the needs of the design brief For example, freeze dried foods would be long lasting
Step 2 Get into small groups Place your foods on a table for discussion Discuss with your group why you brought the foods you did
Step 3 As a group, list different ways in which your food items suitable for spaceflight Record this on the worksheet Take it in turns to share thoughts
Step 4 What tests could be used to check if the food can be taken into space? Write down ideas for these tests on your worksheet For example: Tasting the food Handling the food to test for crumbs Wafting the food to test for good smells Bite test to produce crumbs
Step 5 Test each item of food using the tests you wrote down Which food items are suitable for use in space? Which are not? Why? Record your results on your worksheet
Step 6 Breakfast Use the results of your tests to design your menu for astronauts going to the moon Lunch Dinner
Extension Design packaging for each of the food items in your menu Discuss ways of storing the packaged food on a spacecraft, so it is kept safe on the way to the moon
